


Can't Help Falling In Love With You

by dreamywriter



Category: Impractical Jokers
Genre: Angst, Childhood Friends, Domestic Violence, Drama, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, I'll warn you when there are dark moments, Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-09-29 20:02:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10142864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamywriter/pseuds/dreamywriter
Summary: You have to let go of your past to live in the moment.





	1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER THIS IS A FICTION AND NOT A TRUE STORY, THEREFORE DO NOT TAKE THIS TO BE TRUE IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM. PLEASE KNOW THAT THIS IS A FICTION AND NOT A TRUE STORY THANK YOU!
> 
> Okay now that that is out of the way (seriously, I have met cray fans but not in this fandom), welcome to my story! This is my first time writing, so any criticism is welcome (if you are bullying me or anyone I will report you). Leave your comments and let me know what you guys think!!

Diana sighed as she walked into the bar. She didn't even want to go to the stupid engagement party, and if it weren't for Sarah she wouldn't even have gone. 

She felt bad for Sarah, she really did. Her best friend's sister was marrying the man she loved, and only Diana would know because of the day her best friend came rushing to her apartment crying. Sarah loved her sister, so she didn't say anything and just put on a smiley face. 

But that was Sarah to you. No matter what happened, she would always face it with a smile. 

Diana was different. She could fake it until she couldn't, and then it would take a long time for her to pick herself up. _Just like when Mark-_

_No_. She wasn't going to think about him. 

She saw Sarah first, and then she saw the twenty and more females talking gossip and stuff. Some gave her a weird look while others gave her pity, which she hated more. She saw Jessica, Sarah's sister, and quickly gave her wishes. 

"Diana!" The woman turned to see Sarah's aunt, who looked a bit drunk. "How are you love? Did you know Mark-" 

"Okay," Sarah popped out of no where, "Gramdma is looking for you Aunt Marissa. Diana let's get you a drink," she said while dragging her best friend away. Diana squeezed the other woman's hand, letting her know how thankful she was for saving her from that conversation. 

Sarah stuck close to Diana for about half an hour, and slowly tried to get away from now the drunk women yelling and screaming about their husbands and families. 

"How are you feeling?" Diana asked Sarah, who dropped the smile when it was only the two of them at the bar. They shifted far enough from the party and were sipping their drinks in the quiet yet cozy atmosphere. 

"I should be asking you that," Sarah said back, not forgetting the encounter with her aunt and her best friend. She watched as Diana's eyes got dull, every time it did whenever Mark was brought up. "I am fine," Diana spoke, in a tone that to everyone but Sarah would sound bored. 

"I am fine too," Sarah spoke after a couple minutes later, both ladies lost to their thoughts. "I am more sad and jealous about the fact that my sister, who is five years younger than me, is getting married before me. I wasn't even worried about that, but my entire family is." 

That was one thing Diana could not understand. She didn't have a huge family, and her mom was happily married to another guy and didn't want her own daughter. Her mother didn't want to do anything with her, so it was just her and her dad and that was great. But her father died in an accident when she was ten, so Sarah's dad took her in yet she grew up just by herself. All alone. Sure Sarah was more like her sister, but that was about it. She couldn't see Sarah's parents as her own parents, so she always isolated herself whenever there were family gatherings. Another difference between Diana and Sarah, yet they knew each other the most. 

"That must suck. At least I don't have that," Diana said with a smirk. "I don't have annoying relatives minding my business." 

"I love them, but I want to strangle them sometimes," Sarah said with a sigh. "But I am worried though." 

"About what?" 

"What if I don't get married?" 

"Yes you will," Diana said back without a beat. "You are beautiful, sexy and successful businesswoman and every single guy would want to date you." 

And Diana wasn't lying. Sarah was the traditional Irish beauty, with long curly red hair and beautiful blue eyes that only enhances her smile. She owned a successful interior design company, making her the only girl in her family to even have a job now that her sister is going to quit. 

"And some guys don't like that," Sarah countered back, narrowing her eyes when she noticed that Diana didn't include herself. "We both are thirty four and single. We both need to find someone permanently!" 

"Speak for yourself," Diana muttered, drinking her wine to avoid the pitying look. 

"Diana-" 

"Hello ladies. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?" 

........

"This is ridiculous," Brain muttered under his breath as he looked around the bar in Brooklyn, New York. He was shooting for his show and he needed to win this to avoid the punishment. He already knows that it is going to be worse than that pregnancy or birds and bees punishment. 

"You see the two women siting by the bar," Sal spoke into his ear. 

Brian turned to see the two women, one with long red hair facing his side and another woman with short straight black hair facing her. The red haired woman was wearing a purple dress, which looked beautiful on her. 

"The hot one with the purple dress?" 

"Yeah. Go up to them.” 

Brian did, and he noticed how the woman facing him realized he was coming up to them. She was about to tell her friend but Brian cut to that. 

"Hello ladies. Do you mind if I ask you some questions for the survey?”

The other woman turned, and Brian's heart stopped. She was beautiful, no doubt, with her short black hair and heart shaped face. It was her eyes that made his heart skip a beat, as her beautiful doe-like brown eyes looked up to him. She turned to her friend and then turned back with a smile. “Yeah sure. What’s up?” Damn, even her voice was beautiful. 

“Yeah. Oh yeah. Um,” Brian fumbled around with his fake questionnaire papers, trying to get his thoughts together. He could hear the guys laughing already, probably because of how stupid he looks now. 

“So would you mind if I could know your ages?” Sal said, and Brian repeated looking at the black haired woman. 

“Mid thirties,” she replied back, and squeaked a bit when her friend slapped her arm. “What?” She turned, and he could see the mischief in her brown eyes. Probably an inside joke, he thought to himself. 

“Really? I thought you could be my grandmother,” Joe said, making Brian smile a bit. He laughed to himself, causing the women to look at him weirdly. Should he say that? Could he actually say that? But he really didn't want to lose again. 

“Really? I thought you could be my grandmother,” Brian said, and he could hear the guys howling with laughter. He looked down, covering his face with his hands and completely embarrassed. 

“Speak for yourself,” he heard the woman say, and he looked up to see her smiling. “Was that a pickup line? I can see why you are single.” He couldn’t stop his laughter now, and he could literally hear Sal laughing on the floor.

Suddenly there was loud crash at the other end of the bar, and everyone turned to see two women literally fighting with each other, screaming about something. Alcohol and glasses were being thrown, and one of the glass hit the cameras hidden. “Q we just lost one of the cameras,” Murr said above the laughter. 

“Shut up Diana.”

He turned to see the red haired glaring at her friend, who looked like she was trying not to laugh out loud. Muttering curses that would have made a pirate shy, the red haired walked to the crowd, dismantling the group and sending people away. Diana, which suited her, laughed loudly, almost falling off her sit. “Would your friend be fine?” Brian asked. 

“It’s a common occurrence in the Odell family. She is used to this.” 

“I have to tell you that everything was a part of the show,” Brian started to explain as he saw the director went to her friend to speak about the broken equipment. Diana looked at him in confusion, and he went to explain. “The comment I said was a dare I had to do to avoid the punishment. Have you heard about the Impractical Jokers?” 

A realization comes on her face. “My friend loves that show! Oh my god, she is going to be so jealous!”

“So I am really sorry about the comment. I didn’t mean at all. I mean you don’t look like my grandmother. At all. Hell I don't think you even look like you are in your thirties. You look like you’re in your teens. Okay I am going to stop talking now.”

_What was he doing?_ But he can see that she is laughing, so maybe he wasn’t doing something wrong. “Its okay, I get it,” she replied with a smile. 

“How did you know I was single?” 

“Well, it was obviously a pick up line. I don’t see a ring and you don’t look like a douche that would flirt with other women if you were in a relationship.”

He smiled softly, and he could see the light blush on her tan skin. “Brian Quinn,” He introduced himself, bringing his hand forward. 

Her brown eyes twinkled, and she took his hand for the handshake. “Diana Spaeth.”

“Can I have your phone number?” Wow, really smooth Brian. 

“Diana!” They both turned to see her friend, talking to the producer and absolutely freaking out. She handed him her business card, and with a small smile she went to her friend. 

And that was how Brian and Diana met. 

….

“You gave him your number?”

“What’s with the surprise?” Diana countered back as she sat down on the sofa. She and Sarah lived together ever since she got away from Mark. 

“You never give your number to any guy,” Sarah stated, yelling it from her room. 

“He is cute and I was drunk.” 

“Yeah he is your type. A tall guy with long hair, the beard and a sweet smile. But there were others you met who were your type and you didn’t give him your number.” 

“I was drunk, and it's not like we are going on a date tomorrow,” Diana mumbled. The door bell ringed right then, and she quickly got up to get the Chinese food. 

"You know what you are doing right?” 

Diana ignored Sarah’s question and took out her food. “Diana-“

“Look I get where you are coming from, I really do. But please, let’s not talk about this.”

Sarah dropped it, and they both watched tv while eating their food. “You never let anyone in anymore, so I am happy to see you try it again,” Sarah whispered. “I am worried about you.”

"I know.” 

….

“Text her!” 

Brian jumped when Sal caught him looking at Diana’s business card. "I don't think I should," Brian quietly replied, insecure. 

"Why the fuck not?" Joe said. He never having any qualms about being straightforward. They all were waiting to shoot, and Murr was talking to the producer. 

"She's a professor at NYU. And I pretty sure I looked like an creep last night." 

"What does it matter if she is a professor? You have to talk to her first and then decide how much of a creep you actually are," Sal said with a smirk. 

"What's going on?" Murr asked when he joined the group. 

"Oh I am not going to ask dating advice from you of all people," Brian stated. 

"Why? What's wrong with my advices?" 

"Do you want me to answer that alphabetically or chronologically?" Brian answered, making everyone laugh. 

....

Diana was teaching her Biology class when her phone suddenly rang. The sound silenced the lecture hall, and she blushed because she had a strict policy about cell phones. She ignored it, continuing on the lecture while her face was red. She could hear the whispers but she ignored as she went on about the reproduction cycle of ferns. 

The lecture ended, and she looked at her phone to see that Brian had texted her. 

**Brian: Hey this is Brian. We met at the bar? FYI the producer said that everything is cool with your friend.**

She hesitated. It was already more than half an hour that he texted, should she text now? _Should she even text back?_ She wondered as she walked to her office. “Hey what’s up?” Leslie, one of the professors, asked her. She was a petite woman with a love of microbiology, and while she is loved by many students she was ruthless when she was angry. 

“Nothing much,” Diana replied. “My phone rang off during the lecture and it was embarrassing as hell.”

“I thought you always switch off your phone when you teach?” Leslie asked with an eyebrow raised. 

“Well-“

“Were you waiting for someone to get back to you?” Leslie wondered and suddenly whipped her head to the woman. “Was it a guy?”

“Maybe.”

“it is a guy!” She squeaked. “Who is it?”

“He was someone I met at the bar. Do you think I should text him?”

Leslie bit her lips at the question because she personally knew Diana better than the entire faculty. “You should go for it, even if he is a stranger. Its just texting for now, if you don’t like him you can always block him.”

Diana shuffled a bit, uncomfortable talking about this yet needing to know. She should move on, she has to some day. She can’t let the past control her now. 

**Diana: Hey! That’s good! My friend was more sorry about the failed prank than anything haha. Did you guys still shoot after that fiasco?**

….

Brian wasn’t sure if he should ask Diana out or not. They have been texting and snapchatting for two weeks now, and he really liked her. She was a professor at NYU and lived in Brooklyn where she had a small bookstore. She loved movies, comics and cats, was funny and sweet. Her antics between her friends remembered him the milder version of his friends. She was everything he looked for, hell she was not even that young enough to make the age gap too big. She was only four younger than him, and everything else was perfect. 

And that was what scared him. 

What if things were too perfect? Just like how it was last time and then  his heart was left bleeding on the altar. His phone buzzed, bringing him back to the reality. 

**Diana: I don’t want to rush into things, but I think we should meet up for lunch. Just to get to know each other better. I know that things between us has been slow (at least to Sarah) but I really really like it that way, and if you still want to see where this is going before we meet in person that’s fine by me too. No pressure!**

 He let out a soft smile, and he took a deep breath. He had to see where this is going, and he knows if he didn’t do this he will regret it for the rest of his life. 

**Brian: We can meet up on Thursday this week. My shoots end tomorrow so I can meet up any time on Thursday.**

…. 

Diana was nervous. She wore a nice red dress with a blazer covering her shoulders. She paired her look with black flats and kept her makeup minimum. Just a bit of eyeliner and red lipstick, yet she had the urged to take everything off to cuddle and watch a movie. 

“Don’t,” Sarah said even before she could protest. “You are going to have fun. If anything goes wrong you know I am just a text away.” 

“I know. I know. I am just nervous,” Diana said, twisting her ring on her finger. It was a nervous habit that she did, and Sarah rolled her eyes. “Of course you are. It is your first date since forever,” She replied. When she got a glare she retorted, “What? It’s true.” 

Sarah’s eyes got soft when she saw how nervous her best friend really is. “You’ll be fine. He sounds like a good guy. Just enjoy,” She tells her, giving her a encouraging smile. The door bell rang. Brian was here. "Go for it,” Sarah said, before giving her a hug. Diana opened the door to see Brian with a bouquet of roses. He cleaned up good, wearing jeans and a shirt over a black leather jacket. 

As Brian waited outside the apartment, he tried to calm himself. Damn he is thirty eight years old, not a ten year old seeing his crush for the first time. 

"Hey," She softly said, but he couldn't  respond right away because she looked so beautiful. Her brown eyes lit up when she saw him, and he just wanted to run his hands through her soft hair. She looked beautiful in that dress, that was undeniable. 

"You look beautiful," Brian's voice came out squeaky. "We should get going," He hurriedly said, knowing that his cheeks were red. 

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," someone female shouted from the inside, and Diana flushed with embarrassment. 

"There isn't anything that you wouldn't do!" Diana yells back and closes the door. "Sorry about my friend, she is embarrassing." 

"You haven't seen my friends," Brian replied back with a smile. "They are the worst. I didn't even tell them about today because 90% of me is sure that they will hijack it." 

She laughed at that, her face a bit red and a big smile. This wasn't gonna go so bad after all. 

....

"This is nice," Diana said as she sat down at their table. The restaurant was beautiful, with lights brighting the place and soft music mingled with people's voices. They had even gotten a nice table apparently, and she was thankful that she didn't overdress herself. She looked at Brian, and felt her face heat up. He looked good, real good, in that blazer and hair gelled a little. The salt-n-pepper beard and hair looked really good on him, making him look a bit more mature yet cute. Maybe it's his eyes that's making him cute. She caught herself before drooling, and quickly looked at the menu. 

It got a bit awkward, of course it would. This was the time they were meeting in person, of course things will get awkward. But small topics led to bigger stories, and Diana was in stitches by the time Brian was telling her the story about that time where they completely destroyed Murr's apartment. 

"Murr does have the worst punishments out of all of you," Diana tells him, wiping some of the tears from her eyes. 

"Hello, me teaching sex ed to my parents is the worst," Brian retaliates. Her eyes go wide and she giggles. "Oh I remember that one. I don't think I could even go through that. Well, maybe it wouldn't be that bad considering I'll be talking to Sarah's parents." 

"Why Sarah's parents?" Brian asked, and he regretted it the moment her eyes went a little dull. 

"My mom left me with my dad when I was born, and my dad died in a car accident when I was young. My father was practically brothers with Sarah's father, so he took me in," Diana said with a forced smile. It was still a touchy topic to her. 

"I am so sorry," Brian said, reaching out and squeezing her hand as an apology. 

"It happened long time ago," Diana said casually, but he could see that it still bothered her. Her eyes landed on their linked hands, and she decided she quite liked how her hand perfectly fitted inside his big hands. She didn't try to remove her hand, and the cute smile and flushed face practically undid Brian's heart. Too bad that dinner arrived, and they had to reluctantly let go. 

They moved on to safer topics such as jobs and stuff. He found it really cute when she got really excited about explaining her research and the way her eyes would lit up with excitement. She suddenly stops and looks sheepishly at him. “I am boring you, aren’t I?” She asked. 

“No,” Brian tells her. “I don’t really understand everything you are saying but you look really cute when you were explaining because you love it.”

She blushed, biting her lips in a shy smile. “Yeah, I love to research. But when I was really young I wanted to be a firefighter. I googled you,” she explained at his confused look. 

“I hope there was only good things,” Brain said. She responded with a soft smile. “So far so good,” She said softly. 

….

After the lunch, they walked around holding hands. She loved the way their fitted each other, and it felt like was a teenager again. Diana was fine to go over to Brian's house to watch a movie. “Daddy’s home!” Brian yells out and it is quite adorable how the cats are surrounding Brian’s legs. “They are so adorable!” Diana cooed as she bended down to pet them. He picked all of them as she followed into the living room. 

“I am just going to keep the cats upstairs.”

“Can they stay here though? They are so cute,” Diana asked, her eyes still on the cats. “Can I hold one of them?”

“Yeah sure,” He stammered a bit because she looked too adorable. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” Diana absently replied, her attention fully on the cats who were now surrounding her. She sat down on the couch, and placed the cats on her lap. Her phone suddenly vibrated, and she looked to see Sarah’s text. 

**Sarah: Everything going good?**

**Diana: It’s going great.**

**Sarah: Are you staying at his place?**

**Diana: We are just watching a movie. Not sure about anything else for now.**

**Sarah: Okay let me know if anything goes south.**

**Diana: Yes mom.**

Diana kept her phone and looked at the cats purring as she petted them. She liked it so far, and she really liked him. She looked up when he walked back with a glass of water for her and bottle of beer for him, and she smiled softly as one of the cats ran up to him. 

“So what do you wanna watch?” He asked, and after few debates they decided on Die Hard. As the movie started, she found herself close to him, and she felt comfortable. It was nice, really nice. 

"I wish I could have one," she murmured. "I always wanted a cat." 

"Why don't you get one?" Brian asked. 

"Sarah's allergic to them," She sounded so dejected that Brian burst out laughing. His body rumbled  against hers, and she smiled into the cat's fur. "Don't laugh at my misery," she tried to say it with a straight face, but she burst into giggles when she saw him laughing. The movie was playing, but all she could focus on were his lips. She doesn't know who went forward, but she soon found her lips against his in a soft kiss. It was short, but so sweet that it brought a smile to her face. She moved forward again, but this time it was longer and more intense. The movie was forgotten as he wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to his body. She readily accepted, running her fingers through his hair. 

It was a strange yet exhilarating experience. It was so good, and it definitely was the best kiss she had in her life, and maybe she wouldn't need any more experience to challenge that. He was a good kisser, and it was making her cold yet hot, and breathless and full of air at the same time. It was amazing. 

They broke out, stopping their session with small kisses, but they couldn't get rid of their smiles at all. 

"That was-" Brian started. 

"Amazing," Diana finished. 

"Yeah," He said back, his eyes looking at her with amazement. They made out more and cuddled until they rewatched the movie, and around midnight Diana left his home with a smile and another date. 

He closed the door and leaned against it, his heart thundering against his chest. 

Damn that was good. 

.... 


	2. Friends are Family too

"So when are we meeting her?" Sal asked to Brian causally when the four friends were eating. It has been two months since Brian started seeing this woman, and he is quite secretive about it. 

Brian took his time to answer while he chewed on his food, wondering about the answer. "She's busy with her stuff right now so I was wondering maybe at the party," He answered. 

"Are you guys serious?" Murr asked. 

Brian had a small smile now, his eyes a bit distant when he answered "Yeah." He looked back at his friends and found them smiling creepily at him. 

"You are so in love with her," Joe declared with a laugh. 

"Dude you're blushing!" And to Brian's horror he felt his face heat up. Even after all the embarrassing comments, his smile didn't go away. 

…. 

Diana had to admit that things were going great between her and Brian. They were going slow, as they both agreed on, and hang out as much as possible now that he didn’t have to shoot that much. They would hang out at each other’s apartment if they didn’t feel like going out somewhere, and this time she was at his place. She sat on the counter while Brian tried to cook something, she wasn’t sure what it was though. She made subtle hints but gave up when he looked excited about it, and discreetly tried to help as much as possible. “I have to go to Jersey tomorrow for the podcast,” Brian tells her. “Do you like Jersey?” 

“I did spent most of lifetime there,” She replied with a smile, legs dangling off the counter she was perched on. 

“Wait what?” He asked, but there was something that he was forgetting about someone. 

“Yeah, I am originally from Longbranch, New Jersey. Sarah and I have to go back during the holiday gatherings, and I spent most of early adulthood at Rutgers and then moved to Brooklyn with Sarah when I was 28.”

“Do you miss it?” 

“I miss the beach more than anything else.”

“We should go together then sometime,” Brian whispered now that he was close to her body, wrapping his arms around her waist. His lips hovered above hers, and Diana pushed her fingers through his hands. “We should,” She answered and responded to his kisses. It felt really good, Diana thought, as they continued to kiss heatedly. His hands lowered down to her butt and just when his hands touched her thighs, he felt her entire body go rigid. He broke off, taking deep breaths yet kept his hands lightly on her waist. He looked up to her face in shock, embarrassment shining in her eyes. “I am so sorry-“

“No, I am sorry,” He cut her off. “I should have asked first.” 

“Still, the way I reacted-“

“Not your fault,” Brian cut off again. He caressed her cheeks, forcing her to look at them. “I should have asked you first.”

“I can’t- I can’t do this right now,” she whispered, ashamed to be feeling this right now. She thought she was over it, that she could move on yet this brought her bad memories. 

“It’s okay,” Brian answered back, trying to reassure her. “It’s okay.” 

“No its not,” Diana angrily said, pulling away to face down. She felt his arms go around her and she snuggled her head against his neck. “You can tell me whenever you are ready,” He said, and Diana knew that it wasn’t just about sex anymore. “For now, I am happy with things there are right now,” He finished, running his fingers through her soft hair. 

Brian wasn't an idiot. He has seen fucked up stuff from his time in FDNY, and he knew that something bad had happened to Diana before him. It was the way she would tense up before relaxing whenever his hands were on her waist, or the way she always avoided talking about her past.  He didn't know the extent of it, but he knew that something bad did happen. And he was willingly to wait for to open up because he really liked her. He enjoyed this intimacy with someone he didn't have a one night stand with, and he wanted her in his life as something more than this. 

He really liked her, and somewhere in the back of his mind that terrified him. 

He was brought up back to reality when Diana cupped his face with her hands, and he looked to see her tears  in her eyes. "Thank you for understanding," she whispered and kissed him softly. 

"No problem," he murmured back. He stepped aside and saw her walk to the bathroom, probably to collect herself. He stared at the food blankly before his phone caught his attention. 

“What’s up?” Diana asked. He turned back to see her standing by the wall, looking worried at his expression. “Nothing. Apparently there was some problem with the recording so we might have to do it again,” He said, pulling her closer to his body. “They want me there now so-“

“It’s okay,” She assured him, kissing his cheek. “You should get going then.”

“No, others are coming over to pick me up,” He took a step back. “I have to go change,” He kissed her again and head upstairs. Diana started to clean up the kitchen, taking some of the food with her when the door bell rang. 

She opened the door see his best friends Joe, Sal and James standing. “Hi,” Joe introduced himself. “You must be Diana.”

“Yup,” She confirmed with a smile and stepping aside to let them in. “It’s nice to meet you guys. Brian is getting ready right now.” 

“Hi, I am Sal. Nice to see you,” Sal introduced him, shaking Diana’s hand. “And this is James and that is Joe.” 

“It’s nice to see you guys. Brian talks a lot about you,” Diana said, shaking her hands with them. 

“He talks a lot about you too,” James said with a smile. 

“Good things I hope,” Diana said, blushing. “Are you guys hungry? Brian made some food.”

“And you are going to eat it?” Joe asked, his voice hinting a bit of confusion. 

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s just that he isn’t that good of a cook,” Joe answered. They watched as she took a bite of the food, and after giving it a few seconds they tried it, thinking that maybe Brian improved his cooking. 

“It’s not that bad,” Diana concluded, and watched as the guys retch. “How was that not bad?” Sal asked her, surprised to see her still eating. 

“My roommate once cooked pasta with sauce that had mold in it,” She deadpanned, shuddering at that experience. “Brian is way better than her, and he put effort into it too.”

Brian walked in to see his friends laughing with Diana, and he knew that this wasn’t that bad. “Hey guys,” He said, putting on his brown blazer. Diana turned and gave him a dazzling smile and walked up to him. “I’ll see you later?” She asked, and he responded with a kiss. “I’ll call you and I am really sorry about this.”

“Its fine,” she shrugged and turned to his friends. “It was really nice meeting you guys.” 

“See ya later Diana,” James called out as she walked out, waving her goodbye. Brian turned back to his friends, looking at them meaningfully. “So?” He asked them. 

“She ate your food. Marry her,” Joe said, and others laughed at his red face. 

….

“So when are we gonna meet this guy?” Emily asked Diana as she and Sarah set the table. “Yeah, when are we meeting your McDreamy?” Sarah teased and laughed along with Emily. Diana rolled her eyes affectionately, but smiled at the girls. 

It has been long time since they all met up, only Alice wasn’t here. Diana and Sarah practically knew each from diapers, and only spent less time when they went to different colleges. Sarah met Emily at Virginia Tech while Diana met Alice at Rutgers. The four grew closer as they hang out more together during the holidays, and after graduating Emily and Sarah lived together in Brooklyn while Diana moved in with Mark. Alice went on to traveling to Europe for her job, and sometimes would come back whenever she could. 

The four girls were different, yet they stood by each other through the end. Emily was the blonde one in the group, with green eyes and chubby cheeks. To others, there were complete four different women who in all means should not be friends. Sarah was the popular one, wild, energetic, and never back down from a dare. Diana was the quiet nerdy one, immersed in science and books and nothing else. Emily was the weird one, her antics while might be strange, it was adorable and she herself was a sweet person. Alice was the calm one, with brown hair and eyes that remind anyone of the ocean. She was the logical one, wanting to help others, yet having a mischief side whenever she saw an opportunity. There were different personalities, yet they became close because they respected their differences and accepted it. They stood up for one and another, and always was by their side when one of them need it. They had fun and loved each other as sisters, and knew that they all would be there forever. 

“So when are we meeting him?” Emily asked, turning serious. 

“We’ll go for brunch this week or something,” Diana answered, bringing out the chicken and placing it on the table. “Sarah could you get the salad and the wine?” 

“How serious is this relationship?” Emily pressed on after a glance with Sarah. They needed to know how the guy really is. Sure they did look him up and he seemed to be a nice guy, but there was no way of knowing how he really is until you meet him. 

“Its been two months, I think it’s a bit serious,” Diana answered, annoyed with the topic yet letting it happen. She knew if any of them were in her place she would asking the same questions. 

“So did you sleep with him?” Sarah asked bluntly, keeping her eyes on her best friend. She watched as Diana tensed a bit, turning her away from them.

“No,” Diana admitted. “You told him about Mark?” Emily asked. 

“No,” She answered. “He kinda guessed about what happened and is ready to wait until become comfortable enough to tell him.” 

“He guessed?” 

“I still jump whenever he unexpectedly touches me, so it wasn't that hard for a firefigther to figure out what was worng,” Diana said, clenching her hands around the fork. She shoved the food to avoid talking for now, knowing the glances that Sarah and Emily were sharing. “I am going to tell him soon though,” Diana admitted. 

“ _What?_ ”

She looked up to see her friends looking at her in shock, knowing exactly what their reason is. “I trust him,” Diana simply said, knowing what she was implying.

“You love him?” Sarah prodded for information. 

“It’s only been two months,” Diana stuttered, knowing her face was completely red. She groaned at the teasing smiles on their faces. 

“Oh we definitely have to meet him now. And if he turns out to be a shitty person, at least my husband is a cop,” Emily said. 

….

 

 


	3. Trust is Must

“So you don’t like tomatoes?”

“I am really picky with some food. I will have tomato sauce and like salsa but will not have tomato in my burger,” Diana explained, stirring the sauce as Brian worked on the salad. It's been a week since they seen each other with Brian having to shoot again, so he decided to invite him over to his apartment, and was surprised when she showed up with bags of grocery. 

“But doesn’t salsa have raw tomatoes?” Brian asked, his eyebrow raised up. 

“Yeah but you don't see the seeds,” Diana defended herself. “Taste this,” She moved the spoon near his mouth to let him taste the sauce.  “It’s good,” Brian said, kissing her forehead before placing the salad on the table. “I won’t eat peanut butter,” He admitted. 

“What?” Diana turned so quickly that she lost her balance. Brian was quick to catch her before she fell down on the ground. She laughed, looping her arms around his neck so he could help her stand up. “Are you okay?” He asked, and she responded with a kiss on the lips. “I am fine,” She mumbled, pulling him closer to kiss him. He responded back with the same passion, pushing her to the wall as his hands rested on his waist. He froze when he felt her hands trying to pull his shirt off. He broke off, trying to catch his breath while looking at her questionably. 

“Are you sure?” 

Her heart melted a little at his question, and Diana feeling like she was on top of the world. He cared for her, he really did, and he wanted to make sure she was alright with it. “I trust you,” She confirmed, giving all of her passion into the kiss. He responded with the same passion, letting her take off his shirt as he placed small kisses all around her neck. He picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around her horse as he took her to bedroom. 

“The food?”

“After.”

She moaned when his hands trailed down her back underneath her shirt, sending shivers down her back. He pushed the door open, and gently laid her down on the bed. She took off her shirt, her hair sprawled over his sheet, and Brian could feel himself being intoxicated by her scent. “Let me know when to stop,” He tells her, and Diana felt her heart swell in happiness. “Okay,” she whispered, and moaned as he moved back to placing kisses on her neck. He moved down, fumbling with her bra to get it out. Diana giggled as he continued to fumble and took it off herself. “Thirty eight years old and I don’t know how to take off a bra,” He sheepishly said, making Diana giggle again. 

He went to back to kissing her on the lips, silencing her giggles as his hands focused on her hard nipples. Her hands trailed down his chest, her fingers brushing against his pants constraining his bulge. He pulled away and focused a trail of kisses down her stomach. She raised her hips forward to let him take her jeans and her underwear off, and he pulled down his own pants, revealing his underwear with his cock bulging. Her fingers grazed his cloth covering his erection, running up and down as he grunted into her hair. He mimicked her actions, his fingers touching her wet spot which she responded with a loud gasp. 

"Oh god," She moaned when his fingers massaged her clit. Her hands desperately pulled him closer, trying to get his underwear off. “Just a minute,” He said and headed to the bathroom. Diana laid down on the bed, trying to catch a breath. She looked up when she heard the footsteps and saw Brian standing at the foot of the bed. He slipped on the condom, and his heart thundered with how beautiful she looked. “God you look so beautiful,” He murmured to her, bringing her lips on his as he teased her clit. 

“Please Brian!” She begged, her voice raising as he continued to tease her. Her pupils were dilated, checks flushed with red. “Please what?” He asked, loving the way she wanted him. 

“Fuck me. Please I need you right now,” Diana practically screamed, and let out a loud gasp when he thrusted in her. He started out slowly, kissing her neck as she buried her hands on his hair. “Fuck Brian!” She screamed as he went faster. He pushed her down, kissing her on the lips as he thrusted harder. He could feel himself coming, pulling her close as he felt her close to coming too. 

“Oh fuck,” Brian growled as he came, and Diana arched her back, pushing her torso close to his body. She gave out of a satisfied sigh as Brian got off her and laid beside her. They just laid there for a minute, trying to catch their breath. 

"That was amazing," Brian said, looking at her with a huge smile. 

"I am hungry now. You worked up an appetite for me," Diana said with a laugh. "There is still the amazing salad that I made before things got frisky," He replied back with a smirk.  

Diana got out off the bed and put on his shirt that was the closet to her. Brian was distracted by taking off his condom when he heard the loud laugh. 

"Oh my god," Diana hysterically laughed, and he turned to see his shirt on her. "Your shirt is basically a dress on me!" 

And it literally was. The shirt came just above her knees, and the arms practically covered her elbows. She looked incredibly cute, and he was slightly aroused knowing that she wasn't wearing anything underneath it. 

"This leaves for so many possibilities," She said before entering the bathroom. He cleaned himself up, just wearing his underwear and made him way to the kitchen. He reheated the pasta, bringing out the beer while setting the plates. He turned around to see Diana leaning across the doorway, looking at him while bitting her lips. She looked really sexy, and he realized her biting her lips just turn him on even more. 

"What?" 

"You look really sexy," Diana said, and loved it when she saw him blush a little. 

"Well, I am not the only one," Brian replied back, enjoying the smirk on her face. He leaned back as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers softly brushing his bread. She gave him a soft kiss, but broke off when he tried to make it longer. "I am actually hungry," She said, giving a kiss on his cheek before checking the pasta. 

"So," Diana started after few minutes of eating. "Are we official?" She dropped the question. "I mean, I am fine if you don't want to. But if you want to that's cool as well you know. As long as-" 

"Yeah we are official," Brian said with a soft smile. He always found it adorable whenever she would ramble if she was nervous. "Good," She said with a big smile. "But I have to ask you an important question: how do you not own a coffee machine?" 

 

....

 

“You spent $777 on a burger?” Brian asked her, laughing along with Diana at the absurdity. They were laying on the bed, resting after fooling around and laughing at the ridiculous antics they both did. “Was it made out of gold?”

“Sadly no. We were really drunk and this girl swore that this was the best burger ever. And beside, we were at Las Vegas, if we didn’t do anything stupid Sarah would have been disappointed.” 

“Was it good?”

“It was the best burger I ever had. Totally worth it.”

“Can I ask you a personal question?” Brian asked, and she turned to face him, knowing what he was going to ask. 

“Yeah.”

“Where did you get these scars?”

“My ex-fiance Mark.”

“What happened?” He asked, knowing what might have happened yet not knowing if he can control his anger towards Mark. 

“I met him when I was 20 years old. He was the president of the club I was in, and we instantly hit off. He was really sweet, but now that I think about it, he was really controlling. It was great at first, and two years later we moved in together. It made sense, with us going to the same grad school and saving money, plus it felt right to me too. He had proposed too, so things were looking great for me. Except Sarah and others didn’t like him much.” 

She took a deep breath and Brian instinctively grabbed her hand. “You don’t have to tell me everything,” He stated, rubbing his thumb on her in circular motion to comfort her. 

“No,” She replied back. “There will be times when I will be withdrawn and I don’t want to think that it's your fault.” 

He didn’t say anything, expect pulling her closer to his chest. She buried her head in the nook of his neck, inhaling his scent to calm herself before continuing. 

“Sarah was noticing that he was pulling me away from her and everyone. She always fought with Mark, and urged me to let him go. It came to a point where he made me choose between him and my family. I loved him too much and was afraid I’ll lose him, so I left them for him. 

The first time he slapped me was in a fight, and he apologized right after it so I forgave him. But it became a common occurrence after a month, yet I didn't leave him because I thought if I loved him enough I could cure him. I thought it would go away." 

"But it didn't," Brian whispered, pressing reassuring kisses on her forehead. 

"No it didn't. It got to the point where I had to drop out of college and quit my job because I couldn't hide the bruises. It was easier too, because even if he saw me with a stranger I would have to face the consequence in private. It went on like that for two years until it got too much for me. I was physically and mentally broken, so for the first time I tried to get help. When he went to work, I took a cab and went to emergency. I called Emily, because I was too scared to call Sarah, and it turned out to be good thing because Emily's now husband is a cop." 

This time Diana couldn't stop the tears, and Brian hugged her tightly, trying to comfort her. He didn't say anything, his own mind in horror of what this woman went through, and after a few minutes she spoke again. 

"Jacob, Emily's husband, made sure that Mark was gone for good, and that helped me a lot. It took longer for me open to Sarah, who should have been mad at me you know. After all, we knew each other for our entire lives, and yet I left her for him. I thought she was jealous at that time, because I was getting that perfect life and she wasn't. That's why it was easier to listen to Mark, because I thought he was the only one who knew what I felt. But Sarah and her family took me back in without any questions, and gave me the time I needed to open up about it." 

"She's a good friend," Brian commented. She smiled and looked up to him and said, "She is the best human being ever. If it wasn't for her and my friends, I wouldn't have found myself again. 

"A part of me died when I was with Mark, and even now I sometime feel like he is in my head, messing with me again. And there are days when I won't be myself, so I just want you to know that it's not your fault. I am still hesitant around you, I know you know that, but I want you to know that I do trust you." 

She looked back, her eyes teary but her face determined yet having a vulnerable look in her eyes. Brian's heart swelled with the fact that she did trust him and he nodded in response and kissed her softly. "Thank you for opening up to me," He whispered softly and kissed her again. She smiled in response and buried her face into his chest, snuggling up to him. Few minutes passed, neither speaking until Brian broke the silence. 

"I almost committed suicide once." 

Diana jerked up, looking at the man in shock. She never expected Brian to ever say that, let alone close to committing to the act. 

"I was once engaged to this girl named Mallory, who I knew for most of my life. I really thought that she was the one, so I proposed and she said yes. I thought that my life couldn't get any better, until she left me two weeks before the wedding. I found that she was cheating on me for about two years, and that really fucked me up. 

"I fell into depression, and I felt that everything was my fault. She cheated because there was something wrong with me, and I didn't find any enjoyment in my life when she left. If it wasn't for Sal, Bryan and Ming and others forcing me to talk and or at least get some help, I probably would have killed myself.

"I still do suffer from depression from time to time, and I push people away when that happens. Maybe that's why I was scared of getting into this relationship, because there may be a chance I will push you and you will go away," Brian confessed, and he closed his eyes because he didn't want to see the pity on her face. He felt her fingers running through his face, and felt the kiss she placed on his cheek. 

"I guess we both are fucked up in my minds huh," Diana said, and he opened to see her smiling softly at him. "Thank you for sharing this to me." 

"Are you scared too? About this?" 

"Terrified, but willing to see where it goes." 

 

....

 

This was all he ever wanted, Brain realized, with his chest against her back as he watched her sleep. He didn’t want the awkward moments after a one night stand, where he would have to send away the girl. He loved that he could joke around after the sex, or cuddling while watching a movie with the cats. After the dinner they fooled around again, and this time he noticed the tiny scars all over Diana’s body. It was more prominent on her back, a light scar running down from her neck to the low back. He remembered her saying what her ex fiancé would do, and had to take a deep breath to not let his anger cloud him now. He looked at her, sleeping peacefully, and knew in deep down in his heart that he wouldn't mind this feeling for the rest of his life. He kissed her forehead again and felt himself drift back into darkness, feeling content after such a long time. 

 

.... 

 

Few hours later Diana wakes up to see Brian staring at her. "Morning handsome," she murmured into his chest. "What time is it?" 

"Around 9. Do you have anywhere to go?" 

"I have a faculty meeting at 4 in the afternoon and have to meet with Garcia about the bookstore after that." 

"So do you want to grab breakfast? After that I can drop you off your place and we can hang out until your meeting." 

"Sounds like a plan," Diana said with a yawn. She got out of the bed, and when she raised her arms above her head, his shirt raised too, slightly revealing her naked butt underneath it. She turned to him, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Well, aren't you joining?" She playfully asked. 

Brian didn't need to be told again and quickly followed her to the bathroom. 

 

....

 

**Sarah: Did you spend the night at his place?**

**Diana: Yes**

**Sarah: I want EVERY SINGLE DETAIL and we NEED to meet him**

 

Diana signed as she put the phone down. “M friends really want to see you,” She said to Brian. 

“Same,” He replied back, stuffing his mouth with the fresh toast. 

“What should we do?”

“How about we just meet up at a bar? That’ll be easier than meeting for dinner or something.”

“Yeah that sounds good,” Diana replied. “Although I have to warn you. Sarah and alcohol is a dangerous combination.”  


	4. Old Friends Reunite

Chapter 4 

 

Alice could physically feel the relief as she step out of the airport. It has been almost five years since she was back in New York, and few more days until she would be back to Staten Island. While she loved living in Los Angeles, a part of her always missed Staten Island even more. She had a fun life, meeting new people and growing up to learn more new things about herself. She had quit her accounting job two years ago to fully focus on her YouTube channel, and now with 4 Million followers and a growing makeup brand, she was truly living her life. She was so focused on her career that she was forgetting the people in her life. 

 

Just five months ago she got a call, saying that her father had an heart attack. She still remember the numbness she felt in her heart as she waited in the plane to land to JFK. She remembered the helplessness she felt when she saw her mother all alone in the emergency, the tears and fear that she was going to lose her father too. The surgery was successful, yet the fear of losing her family lodged into her heart. 

 

“Why didn’t you tell me that there were problems?” She asked her mother while they watched her father sleeping peacefully. 

 

“We didn’t want to you to be worried,” Her mother gently said. 

 

“Of course I’ll be worried! You’re my family!”

 

“And worrying is our jobs dear,” She replied, keeping a steady eye contact with her daughter. “We want you to live your life. We didn’t want to hold you back, Ally.”

 

“What is the use of my happiness if I can’t send it with you?” Alice shot back, her eyes filling with unshed tears. “We already lost David, I can’t lose you guys either.”  

 

So she decided right then that she was moving back to Staten Island. She decided she would get an apartment near her childhood home, and so in five months she moved everything back to home. 

 

"Alice!" 

 

She jerked back to the reality to see Diana Spaeth, her best friend since college, waving to get her attention. She rushed to her, bringing her to a hug that instantly made everything better. 

 

"I missed you so much," Diana said she broke out of the hug. 

 

"We FaceTimed last night," Alice replied. 

 

"I know but still," Diana whined a little, but smiled when she saw her rolling her eyes. 

 

“I am really sorry about this,” Alice apologized. “The stuff hasn’t still been moved in yet and there’s no space for me at my parents’ home. If there are still problems I can totally live in a hotel-“

 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Diana stopped her, helping Alice load the bags onto the car. “Its only for few days and you’ll be sleeping in my room. We shared a room for four years, I think we can manage it again.” 

 

“Still,” Alice said, closing the door as Diana started the engine. “This is all last minute. Is Sarah alright with it?”

 

“Oh she is more excited you are here,” Diana admitted, remembering the glee on Sarah’s face. Diana knew for sure that her friends will not go easy on Brian as they got extremely picky over her choice in men. 

 

“And when are we finally meeting your McDreamy?” 

 

“Shut up,” Diana mumbled. “What about your guy?”

 

“He isn’t in the picture anymore.”

 

“Oh I am sorry.”

 

“Don’t be,” Alice replied. “It just wasn’t working out.” 

 

“Hey you’ll find your McDreamy,” Diana reassured. 

 

“Oh so you do admit that your guy is McDreamy,” Alice teased, watching her blushing friend start the car. 

 

….

 

James had accidentally came across it while he was packing so he could move to the new apartment. He hadn’t realized he held on to it even after these years, as he took the old oak leaf out of the ziplock. He had to sit down, memories hitting him with a force as he remembered the girl from his childhood that took a part of him with her. 

 

_“You know,” She said as she plucked out the leaves, turning to James with a smile. “Oak leaves symbolizes strength, stability and nobility.”_

_“Really?” He asked as they walked in the park, holding hands. She looked beautiful to him, her curly hair flying away from her face, making it clear to look at her bright eyes. Her hand fit perfectly in his, and he pulled her closer so he kiss her forehead._

_“Yup,” She confirmed, and gave him one of the leaves. “So let’s hold on to one so we can have strength and the courage to do what you want in life.”_

_“I love you,” James blurted out, shock with the comfort and ease he could say it. This was random and unromantic, yet it felt perfect. Her eyes got wide as her jaw dropped a little, and then she gave him the biggest smile he had ever seen. Her dimples were more prominent than ever, and he was pretty sure he looked like a maniac smiling like he was._

_"I love you too," Alice said and kissed him in the park._

 

"Hey Murr you done with the boxes?" 

 

James jerked back and looked Sal staring at him strangely. He must be looking like an idiot, staring at the old leaf while sitting in the middle of boxes. He blinked back the memories away and tried to focus on the present. 

 

"Yeah you can take these and I'll be finished by them," He replied while placing the leaf aside to help Sal with the boxes. He turned back when his friend left, pocketing the leaf back into the ziplock. He wondered if he should hold on to it or throw it away. He put it back into the box with his albums, knowing he could never let it go. 

 

….

 

Later that day, as the girls were unpacking, Diana got an text from Brian saying that he was coming over. “Brian!” Alice heard Diana scream in delight, and she turned just in time to see Diana hug a man that looked too familiar to her. 

 

“Q?” Alice exclaimed in shock. 

 

“Ally?” Brian stuttered back. 

 

“What is going on?” Diana said out loud, confused while Sarah looked on as if it was an intense drama television show. “How do you know Alice?” 

 

“How do you know Ally?” Brian asked to his girlfriend. 

 

“She was my roommate in college, remember? I told you about her,” Diana answered back. 

 

“My brother was close friends with Q and his friends,” Alice said, giving a meaningful look to Diana. 

 

“What?” Diana stuttered. 

 

“The guy I told you about, who I dated in high school and everything that happened next,” Alice meaningfully said, and Diana looked at her with wide eyes. 

 

“That’s not Brian is it?” 

 

“Ew, no gross. No offense,” Alice hurriedly said to the man, who just shrugged in respond. He walked over and gave her a big hug. “It's been years since I last saw you. What happened?” Brian asked, looking at the girl who he considered to be sister in worry. 

 

“Nothing happened,” She quickly said. She knew that he wouldn't let go that easily. 

 

"Nothing happened?" Brian's asked her, and she was right. "You disappeared right after high school man! We were all worried about you and your parents were the one to let us know that you were fine!" 

 

"It's not a big deal! I wanted to move on!" Alice replied back defensibly. 

 

"Hold on," Sarah interrupted them, "You two know each other from high school and you," She looked at Alice, "dated one of his friends?" 

 

"Basically yeah," Alice confirmed, looking uncomfortable as she saw Diana come to a realization. 

 

"James Murray!" Diana exclaimed, and Alice nodded in confirmation. "Well, I am just glad that it's not Brian to be honest," Diana admitted. 

 

"Me too," Alice replied with a smile. "That would have been super awkward. Well, I am going to leave before my mom flips out again. It is nice to see you again Q." 

 

"You know I'll have to tell Joe about this," He said, looking down at her. 

 

"I would have if I had his number. You know what, just give me his number and I'll talk to him." And after exchange of numbers, Alice left hurriedly before Diana could ask more questions again. 

 

"Well, I have to go," Sarah announced and got up from the couch. "That was one amazing coincidence. See ya soon!" And with that she left, leaving the couple alone in the apartment. 


End file.
